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Having lost six straight games the Clarkson University Hockey team will have to do something it has yet to accomplish this season if it wants to get back on the winning track. The Golden Knights will be striving for their first wins away from Potsdam as they open a four-game road trip with this weekend’s journey to New England. The Green and Gold, who are 0-6 on opponents’ home ice this season, play Dartmouth in Hanover, NH on Friday and battle Harvard in Cambridge, MA on Saturday. Both games are 7:00 p.m. faceoffs. Guided by seventh-year head coach George Roll, associate coach Greg Drechsel and assistant coach Jean-Francois Houle, Clarkson is 3-8 overall and is 0-4 in ECAC Hockey action.

Playing its first games at Cheel Arena since late October, the Knights suffered a sweep to Capital District rivals Rensselaer and Union over the weekend. On Friday, RPI broke a 2-2 tie midway through the second period with three unanswered goals to gain a 5-2 victory. On Saturday, the Knights took a 1-0 first period lead on junior assistant captain Brandon DeFazio’s (Oakville, ONT) second goal of the weekend and third of the season, but the Dutchmen overwhelmed the Green and Gold in the second stanza to take control. Union scored twice in the opening 49 seconds of the middle frame and cruised to a 5-1 win.

Clarkson’s last victory was a 4-1 non-league triumph over St. Lawrence on October 24 in Potsdam. All six of the Golden Knights’ road losses have come on the home ice of teams that are ranked in the Top 20 of this week’s USCHO.com national poll. The Knights dropped two (6-1, 4-3) at 6th-ranked Michigan State to open the 2009-10 campaign on October 9-10, suffered a sweep at 20th-rated Minnesota-Duluth (4-1, 4-2) on October 30-31, and fell at 13th-ranked Quinnipiac (4-2) and at #19 Princeton (4-1) to open ECAC Hockey play on November 6-7.

Playing for only the second time at Thompson Arena this season, Dartmouth will be looking for its first win of the year when it hosts the Golden Knights. Guided by 14th-year head coach Bob Gaudet, the Big Green are 0-5 both overall and in league play. Dartmouth closed out a four-game road trip with a 4-2 loss at Quinnipiac this past Saturday. On Friday, the Big Green fell in overtime, 2-1, at Princeton. Dartmouth has also lost at Cornell (5-1) and Colgate (3-2) on November 6-7, and at home to Harvard (5-3) to officially open the season on October 30.

Harvard enters the weekend with a 1-3-1 record overall and in ECAC Hockey. Guided by fifth-year head coach Ted Donato, the Crimson plays at Bright Hockey Center for the first time this season when they host St. Lawrence on Friday prior to facing off against the Knights. Harvard skated to a 3-3 tie at Princeton on Saturday after losing 5-1 at Quinnipiac the night before. After opening the season with a 5-3 win at Dartmouth on October 30, the Crimson lost at Colgate (5-4) and Cornell (6-3) on November 6-7.

Quotes From the Coach:
"Overall, other than Saturday night (against Union), we have played fairly solid," stated George Roll. "We are getting great chances and just not finishing, and that compounds at the other end; that if we give up more than two goals we are losing. We are in a vicious cycle, where some way somehow we have to find a way to get out of. I think right now it is more psychological than it is physical. I think the guys are working. Saturday night was certainly the first game all year when we did not compete at a high level. I think that is a one time thing. We have to stay positive, keep working, and find a way out of it. There is no pointing fingers and no giving up in that group. Once we get some break and bounces going our way, that will help build our team’s confidence."

On the upcoming weekend at Dartmouth and Harvard, Roll remarked, "Both teams’ record are probably not indicative to the way they have played, similar to us. Obviously, it is a key weekend for all three of us. Even though it is early, only four games in, none of the teams can dig themselves in any deeper. For us, it is just a matter of building some confidence and continuing to work, and maybe some of the puck luck will go our way."

The Series:
The Golden Knights hold an overwhelming 63-22-6 advantage all-time in the rivalry against Dartmouth, which began with a 4-1 Clarkson win on February 4, 1929. The teams split last year with Clarkson snapping a two-game slide to the Big Green with a 6-3 victory at Cheel Arena on February 20. Dartmouth skated past the Knights 5-1 at Thompson Arena on November 15. Clarkson has lost two straight in Hanover with its last victory at Dartmouth coming on November 4, 2006 (6-3). Matt Beca (1-6) has recorded a team-high seven points in five games against the Big Green. Richie LaVeau is 1-0-0 against Dartmouth with a .857 save percentage and a 3.00 GAA. Paul Karpowich has played 28 minutes against Dartmouth, making 13 saves on 14 shots. George Roll is 5-6-2 against Dartmouth, while Bob Gaudet, who also coached at Brown, is 11-26-6 against the Knights.

Clarkson earned one point in ECAC Hockey play against Harvard last season, but still leads the series, which began with a 2-1 Clarkson win in Lake Placid on December 28, 1935, 48-45-10. The Golden Knights saw a six-game win streak come to an end against Harvard when the Crimson skated to a 5-1 victory in Cambridge, MA on November 14, 2008. The teams battled to a 3-3 draw in Potsdam last February 21. In 2007-08, the Green and Gold won 2-1 at Cheel (11/2) and 4-2 at Bright Hockey Center (1/12). Matt Beca paces the Clarkson offense against Harvard with a team-high six points on four goals and two assists through eight games in the rivalry. Richie LaVeau is 0-0-1 against the Crimson with a .885 save percentage and a 2.77 GAA. Paul Karpowich is 0-1-0 in the series with a .783 save percentage and a 5.00 GAA. George Roll is 8-6-2 against Harvard, while the Crimson’s Ted Donato is 4-7-1 against the Knights.

Knight Notes:
Clarkson takes to the road for four straight games with this weekend’s trip to Dartmouth and Harvard … The Knights are winless on the road this season at 0-6, and are looking to break out of a six-game losing streak … Clarkson has struggled in the second period this season having been outscored 22-7 in the middle frame … The Knights are 3-0 when leading after two periods and 0-8 when trailing or tied after 40 minutes … Brandon DeFazio scored a goal in each game over the weekend and is the Knights’ second-leading scorer with 10 points on three goals and seven assists … Senior Matt Beca (Mississauga, ONT) moved closer to the century mark after recording one assist against Rensselaer. He has 92 career points (37-55) through 123 games, and has seven points this season, including a team-high six goals … Bryan Rufenach, who set up three goals over the weekend, leads the Green and Gold offensively from the blueline with eight points on two goals and six assists … Adam Pawlick is second on the team in goal scoring with four, including a team-high three on the power play … Clarkson returns to Boston over the Thanksgiving weekend when it plays at Boston College on November 27. The Knights close out the 2009 portion of the schedule with a home-and-home weekend series against St. Lawrence on December 4-5.